Senior Physical Substation Engineer

I & S Group, Inc.; Dublin (OH); On-site; USD 105,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Parental leave

Profit sharing

ESOP

Job summary

ISG is seeking a Senior Physical Substation Engineer, PE, to lead high‑voltage substation physical design packages, ensuring safety, reliability, and compliance with IEEE/ANSI/NESC/NEC/NFPA. You will mentor junior staff and act as the primary client contact for design issues.

You will oversee civil/structural and protection/control integration, perform critical grounding and layout analyses, and coordinate with utilities and clients on deliverables and milestones.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (power systems) required.
• 5+ years of experience in substation physical design.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license required.
• Proficiency with CAD operations.
• Experience with grounding analysis software (WinIGS, CYME, CDEGS).
• Experience with photometric analysis software (Visual Lighting, AGi32, DIALux, Revit).
• Experience with lighting analysis software (WinIGS, CDEGS, PSCAD).
• Experience with SDS and Inventor; preferred but not required.
• Strong understanding of substation equipment, procurement, and configurations (AIS, transformer banks, ring bus, breaker‑and‑a‑half).
• Knowledge of IEEE, ANSI, NESC, NEC, NFPA, OSHA.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Valid driver’s license and travel ability.

Responsibilities

• Develops and reviews complete physical design packages for high‑voltage substations, including one‑line/three‑line diagrams, general arrangement drawings, bus work layouts, grounding layouts, conduit routing, and BOMs.
• Ensures compliance with utility, client, and regulatory standards (IEEE, ANSI, NEC, NESC, NFPA).
• Applies engineering judgment to optimize layouts for safety, reliability, constructability, and cost.
• Oversees integration of civil/structural and protection & control requirements.
• Performs and reviews grounding, voltage drop, conduit fill, lighting, and cable sag calculations.
• Reviews and approves design packages, drawings, reports, and notes.
• Leads design coordination meetings with clients, utilities, vendors, and teams.
• Serves as technical contact for clients and solves complex design issues.
• Mentors junior staff and provides feedback on work.
• Forecasts design hours and supports schedules and budgets.
• Implements process/tool improvements for efficiency and quality.
• Stays current with emerging technologies and standards.

Skills

Substation design leadership

PE license

CAD operations

Code knowledge (IEEE/ANSI/NESC/NEC/NF…

Communication

Substation equipment knowledge

Driver's license

Education

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (power systems)

Tools

WinIGS

CYME

CDEGS

Visual Lighting

AGi32

DIALux

Revit

SDS

Inventor

Job description

Senior Physical Substation Engineer, PE

Department: Power

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Columbus, OH

Compensation: $105,000 - $150,000 / year

Description

We are seeking a Senior Physical Substation Engineer who will lead the design of high‑voltage transmission and distribution substation physical packages, including layouts, bus work, grounding, conduit, and equipment placement. This role ensures designs meet client, utility, and regulatory standards while optimizing for safety, reliability, and constructability. The Senior Engineer mentors junior staff, reviews and approves deliverables, and serves as a primary client contact for resolving technical issues.

This position will work on projects directly associated with FirstEnergy, one of ISG’s trusted and longstanding client partners.

Essential Duties

• Develops and reviews complete physical design packages for high‑voltage substations, including one‑line and three‑line diagrams, general arrangement drawings & section views, bus work layouts and equipment plans, grounding layouts and calculations per IEEE Std 80, conduit, trench, and cable routing plans, and engineering documents and bill of materials
• Ensures compliance with utility, client, and regulatory standards (IEEE, ANSI, NEC, NESC, NFPA)
• Applies advanced engineering judgment to optimize substation layouts for safety, reliability, constructability, and cost efficiency
• Oversees integration of civil/structural and protection & control requirements into the physical design
• Performs and reviews calculations including but not limited to grounding, voltage drop, conduit fill, lightning protection, illumination, cable sag/tension, etc.
• Reviews and approves design packages including drawings, technical reports, and construction notes for accuracy and completeness
• Leads design coordination meetings with clients, utilities, vendors, and internal teams to resolve design issues
• Serves as the technical point of contact for clients, providing solutions to complex design challenges
• Mentors and guides junior engineers and designers, reviewing their work and providing structured feedback
• Supports project schedules and budgets by accurately forecasting design hours and meeting deliverable milestones
• Recommends and implements improvements in design processes, tools, and templates to increase efficiency and quality
• Stays current with emerging technologies, equipment, and industry standards impacting substation design

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (focus in power systems or related discipline required)
• 5+ years of experience in substation physical design, with proven leadership on medium to large projects
• Professional Engineer (PE) license, required
• Proficiency with marking up drawings digitally and understanding of CAD operations
• Experience with grounding analysis software (WinIGS, CYME, CDEGS, or equivalent)
• Experience with photometric analysis software (Visual Lighting, AGi32, DIALux, Revit or equivalent)
• Experience with lighting analysis software (WinIGS, CDEGS, PSCAD or equivalent)
• Experience with Substation Design Suite (SDS) and Inventor preferred but not required
• Strong understanding of substation equipment, procurement, and configurations (AIS, transformer banks, ring bus, breaker‑and‑a‑half, etc.)
• Knowledge of industry codes and standards: IEEE, ANSI, NESC, NEC, NFPA, OSHA
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with ability to interface directly with clients
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel for site visits, design reviews, and client meetings

ISG Employee Owner Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision
• Paid time off, pro‑rated amount available on your start date
• Paid holidays and paid volunteer time
• Paid parental leave
• Bi‑annual profit sharing
• Employee Ownership Stock Plan (ESOP)
• 401K retirement plan
• Life insurance
• HSA and FSA options
• Bereavement leave
• Supplemental voluntary benefits
• Short term and long‑term disability
• Parking reimbursement, varies on office location